Why choose engineered flooring?

Engineered wood flooring has many benefits over solid wood flooring due to the layers of plywood or softwood backing creating a stable and cost effective alternative to solid wood flooring. Here’s 5 good reasons to help you make the correct choice.

1. Stability – Engineered flooring is dimensionally stable which makes it a great choice for a piece of mind installation. Most good quality oak engineered floors are suitable for use over under floor heating and gives the end user piece of mind when making a decision.
2. Choices – Due to new innovative production methods, engineered flooring is available in plenty of different formats including very wide and long boards, thickness from 10mm up to 22mm, fumed, textured, coloured, lacquered, natural or UV oiled or in raw finish.
3. Cost effective – Although some variations of engineered flooring can be expensive, it is generally considered to be cheaper than solid flooring and can be easier to fit, therefore saving time on installation costs.
4. Environmentally friendly – Engineered flooring is made with a real wood veneer that is normally just over 1/3 of its thickness. The backing of the board is generally made from faster growing softwood or plywood, making the majority of the floor much more sustainable and from well managed sources.
5. Easy to fit- The accurate machining and stability of these boards make them easy to fit and much more popular with DIY installations as they do not need expansion left between the boards and can be laid floating on a suitable underlay. Solid hardwood flooring needs plenty of provision for expansion in the floor when laying and generally has to be fully bonded or nailed to a suitable substrate. This requires expert knowledge and specific methods to ensure best results.